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The Magnificence of His Presence

The appearance of the brilliant light all around was like that of a rainbow in a cloud on a rainy day. This was the appearance of the likeness of the Lord’s glory. When I saw it, I fell facedown and heard a voice speaking.¹

 

I love taking pictures of sunrises and sunsets. The problem is, I have not taken the time to learn how to operate the manual settings on my phone. As beautiful as my pictures are, they never quite capture the right shades of colors or the brilliance that I saw with human eyes.

 

In Ezekiel 1, God gives the prophet an incredible vision of his Heavenly throne. Ezekiel describes what he saw and some of the vivid images are hard for a finite human mind to imagine. Then Ezekiel gets a glimpse of God sitting on his throne. How can you even begin to describe the Glorious presence of our Holy God? Ezekiel's portrayal is merely a faint picture of what we hope to one day be in the presence of. Like my pictures that are lacking in vibrance and reality, the prophets words can never capture the true magnificence of God's presence. The experience of seeing God on his Heavenly Throne was astounding for Ezekiel, it was permanently etched in his memory.

   

If you’ve ever experienced the sight of a wondrous natural landmark such as the Grand Canyon, the mighty Redwoods, or the extraordinary Niagara Falls, the first thing you did was capture the moment in your mind, then of course, you probably snapped a picture so that you could look back on that moment as often as you’d like. But to your dismay, the picture just wasn’t the same. God’s presence is everywhere and His fingerprints are seen in the beauty of His Creation. We can see Him in fiery majestic sunsets, snow-covered mountains, the sweet smell of a new baby’s skin, and in the Holy whispers heard in the depths of my soul.

 

Tears have welled up in my eyes while singing sacred words of a worship song that speaks of the Lord’s magnificence. There are times when God graciously thins the veil between Heaven and Earth to give us a glimpse of his Glorious presence. In that moment, the Splendor of Eternity becomes so real you can almost touch it. During those sacred moments, we cannot help but fall face down and worship as Ezekiel did. When we are surrounded by his undeniable presence, worship and praise become our natural posture. “It is creation bowing down to its creator, art worshiping the artist, a masterpiece giving glory to its master” — Mei L. Au.

 

Suggested Prayer: Lord, Your presence consumes me! All fear is gone and I stand in awe. The whole earth trembles at Your Greatness and You make everything new, I bow at Your feet, Almighty God! In Jesus’ name, Amen.

 

1. Ezekiel 1:28 (CSB).

 

Today’s Encounter was written by: Veronica B.